TypePad Profile

February 2010

February 28, 2010

I know it seems like I abandoned this space, but I've actually been thinking about it quite a lot. I've been composing this post for awhile in my head. This is on a topic very close to my heart. If you've come looking for knitting, today you won't find it.

Two Sundays ago (February 14th) was the first day of Losar, the Tibetan New Year. It is now 2137, the year of the Male Iron Tiger. This year, the typical Losar celebrations were very muted as Tibetan continues mourn the many Tibetans who are being imprisoned, tortured and killed in China's continuing crackdown following the protests of the Beijing Olympics.

I can't remember when I first became aware of the situation in Tibet. I know that in high school my Dad kept saying I shouldn't buy things from China because they abused their own citizens. Some time in there, I read a National Geographic article that detailed a trip by a man that slipped a camera into China. I still remember clearly, nearly 20 years later, a man standing naked in a vat of toxic chemicals working man made leather with his feet. That is when I started realizing what my purchases were supporting.

Soon after that, I heard about Tibet for the first time. I began to learn about Tibet, a mystical country who's people had lived in near isolation in a mountain kingdom. I also learned of China's occupation in 1950 and slow overrunning of the country. And finally, I read about His Holiness the 14th Dalai Lama fleeing the country in 1959.

In college, a student posted a message saying, if you want to correspond with a real Tibetan monk, stop by. I did.

I started by sponsoring a young monk and then started sponsoring an older monk. I've now been writing to the secretary at Drepung Gomang Monastic College for 13 years.

from Drepung Gomang Monastic College

Over the years, I've learned about day to day life at the monastery and traded updates on our families. The secretary, Migmar, lives at the monastery in Southern India while his wife and children live in Dharmsala. He usually is able to visit them once a year. He acknowledges that it is hard, but must provide for his family. I hope to meet him someday.

Many of the monks have never been in Tibet. Others are now in their 60s and 70s and left Tibet during the invasion of 1959. Still others were smuggled out of Tibet by their parents in the hopes that they would receive a traditional Tibetan upbringing and would keep Tibetan traditions alive. This arduous and dangerous trip through the Himalayan mountains takes weeks and many suffer from frost bite and other injuries. So that they may learn about their culture. So that they may practice their religion freely. Most will never see their parents again.

Over the years, I have learned more about Tibet, its people and its environment. Three rivers - the Yellow, Mekong, and Yangtze - originate in the Tibetan plateau; the drinking water of millions of people is controlled by the Chinese government. I learned that Tibet was once at the center of the Silk Road and peoples from all over the known world traveled through the land. I learned about the introduction of Buddhism. I studied to understand the situation in Tibet. If you want to read a definitive book on the legal standing of Tibet, I recommend Tibet: The Position of International Law. After reading this, there can be no doubt that Tibet is an occupied country and that it was unlawfully invaded. And China has occupied the country for over 60 years. I was so full of joy when Tibetan protesters sent this message around the world:

Protesters hang signs on the Golden Gate Bridge, photo: New York Times

Over the years, my frustration and pain with this and many other human rights violations perpetrated by China has grown. My determination not to support the Chinese government's policies through my purchases has strengthened. As we all know, it's hard to avoid stuff that is made in China. But before you break down and buy something, there are questions to ask:

is this available from another place? if it costs more in money, it has a lower cost in lives lost.

do I really need this or is it just something I want?

can I make this?

can I get it used? Goodwill, Saint Vincent de Paul, or Freecycle are great options.

I feel I'm getting better at asking myself those questions. And yet, sometimes there is no way to avoid it, no matter how hard I try. But I remain unsatisfied. As I've become
friends with Tibetan refugees in the United States and watched parents
struggle to pass on a unique and beautiful culture, I realize that I
must do more.

Back in January, I decided that I would begin a personal Oppression Offset program. The idea is simple and follows the carbon offset model: every time my purchases support Chinese oppression, I will set aside an equal amount for freedom. At the end of this year, I will donate that money to The Tibet Fund. My Oppression Offsets, year-to-date: $16.99.

Clearly I've decided to document this decision here. I will be setting up another page on this blog, tracking my Oppression Offsets. As I discover other sources for stuff, I will post it there. When I discover hidden Chinese products, I will post them here as well. My intention is not to give more money. In fact, my goal is to have a year when my Oppression Offset is zero.

Perhaps then, we can look forward to a day when Tibetans can return to their homeland. And to live a life free of fear and oppression in their home country.

February 12, 2010

I'm about to cast on for the knitting olympics, ravelymics, you name it. And I just have to say, I love the Olympics. We suspend reality, we set aside differences, and come together and celebrate. I love that. I wish the Olympics would last forever. Sappy random post over.

February 09, 2010

A blog entry in which I will teach an effective means of throwing money away.

Spend some time accumulating points to get a $25 rewards gift certificate on a store credit card.

Accumulate large amounts of paper to mix with the gift certificate. Any paper will work though I found a collection of bills, letters, receipts, and assorted expired advertisements to be quite effective.

Randomly mix massive amounts of paper + gift certificate together. I chose to use the moving and mad-dash Christmas clean-up method, but any approach will work as long as you frequently pick up one pile of papers and mix them with unrelated things.

Wait six months.

A week before the gift certificate is due to expire, decide to look for it.

Spend an hour on the day it expires frantically looking for it. I swore a lot, but I don't think this is required.

Admit defeat and acknowledge you won't be driving to the store. Pour a glass of wine.

I am so annoyed with myself. I wouldn't take $25 and treat it so casually, but that's essentially what I did. And I'm out of face cream and DO need to buy some. Now, I will be using money instead of the gift card. Sigh.

This is an example of something that will figure prominently in my new year's goals. Yes, I realize it is February. I procrastinate. I've long given up on trying to overcome that particular unfortunate trait. I am, however, still hopeful of overcoming others.

On knitty notes, I do have a finished object:

This is the Sag Harbor shawl that I started in July, finished knitting in August and then waited five months to add the fringe. You were right Nova - I do feel better. Details - Pattern: Sag Harbor shawl (and rav)Yarn: Farmhouse Yarns Silk Spun cotton - which apparently has been discontinuedModifications: I unintentionally modified this pattern, as I was drinking wine and
talking with a friend and forgot to stop increasing at the top. I
think it is about 10 stitches wider, or 5 rows longer.

(Ignore the vacuum in the corner)

I love the color of this yarn, but I'm not a big fan of the pattern. I
used to feel guilty that I wasn't knitting anything on larger needles.
I'm over that. Maybe it was using size 13 needles on sport weight
yarn, but it was annoying. Here is a picture of the shawl folded. Right as I was about to snap this picture, Beckerman jumped in the chair. I think he's a bit of a ham.

February 04, 2010

First off, thank you for everyone's nice comments about my Stormy Seas stole. I'm sorry I haven't responded individually, but I will. I'm really very proud of it and I'm tickled that others like it too.

I've been stumped lately about what to post. The weekend before last, partner and I had a great time at the U.S. Men's Soccer Team game against Honduras. Unfortunately, we lost, but the plane ride down, game, and drive up the coast allowed me to make massive progress on the Koolhaas for Boy #2. So much progress, that I should have an FO to show this post. I took sizing recommendations from partner, I tried it on as I went, and determined that, since Boy #2 has a smaller head than Partner, four repeats would be enough. Except, not so much:

Ahh, I love the lessons that yarn teaches you about gauge. Not. Both hats are cast on with worsted weight yarn, 104 stitches, on size 6 needles. Can you tell? Yeah, I didn't think so. Apparently, there is a little bit more range in the worsted weight category than I realized.

So, I need to rip out and do a fifth repeat. Sigh.

But in happy yarn news, this past week, I received the most wonderful package in the mail. Karin at the Periwinkle Sheep has wonderful yarn. I read in other blogs that the yarn was soft and squish and the colors convinced me to buy yarn, unsquished. It was worth the leap of faith!

From left to right: Plum crumble, North Sea, and Pumpkin Bread

I love these yarns! And, Karin is so generous. January was her birthday month so she included a free skein of sock yarn with every order. The North Sea yarn was my free skein and the flash on my camera washes out the subtle, beautiful tonal changes in this yarn. I have many ideas for this yarn and you'll see it again soon!

Of course, my Periwinkle purchases do fly in the face of my "knit down the stash" idea. There are 1300 yards of new yarn in that picture, and, according to my last post, I've only knit 427 yards this year! I don't think that is going to work.

Oh, check out this swap that is being done by Leah. I've never done a swap, but decided to give it a whirl. You can sign up until the 5th. She is encouraging little to no output of funds so I'm having a fun time looking around the house and gathering ideas. I hope my swap partner likes earth tones and mysteries!

And finally, some pictures of a wonderful, fantastic weekend in Mt Shasta, CA. Since we went up three weeks ago, they have had a ton of snow. The depth at the top of the resort went from 30 inches to 120! It was the best skiing in years!

The peak of Mt Shasta

Snow covered trees

The view of the valley from the lift

A cool, natural snow sculpture

The first of many falls in my ill-fated attempt to follow Partner tree skiing

Looking into the valley and proof that the trees were pretty thick where we were skiing

Me, pretending to be happy about falling in the snow... okay and it's a goofy picture of us